Get Ready To Rumble: IE9 Steps Into Ring

All's Fair In Love And Browser Wars 

by SoftwareGuru


Mickey Rourke's Hollywood comeback in the heartfelt drama "The Wrestler" is about an aging pro coming to terms with how the world has moved on.

Initially the audience believes him to be washed up. By the end of the painful journey we're left thinking that in his chosen field, he has no equal.

The parallels with this type of comeback story and Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser are striking.

As I type this, gigantic billboard posters across the country are inviting internet users to switch to the new kid on the block - Google Chrome.

Firefox has been eating away at browser market share with its improved speed, security and multitude of developer add-ons.

Even niche browsers such as Safari and Opera are slowly building up a loyal fanbase.  

With such impressive competition, it makes sense to take a look at the latest 2010 statistics and see how things are shaping up.

























Windows 7 and Internet Explorer

The latest reports indicating that Microsoft Windows 7 has achieved 10% operating system market share in just 3 months will have boosted IE8's user base.

Windows Vista currently holds around 20% market share, while the 9-year-old Windows XP is (still) between 60-70%.

Here's an extract from Windowsteamblog.com

Internet Explorer 8 is the most popular browser on Windows with 27.9% usage share... it now has 25.6% of market share across all OS’s on a worldwide-weighted usage share basis.

The fact remains that IE8 is the world's most popular browser and the forthcoming Internet Explorer 9 is likely to continue the Microsoft comeback trail.

Ultimately, competition encourages innovation and is a good thing. As long as we can evaluate online tools on their merits and not by their brand identity, then we can make informed choices.

At Software4Students, our discount software deals on Windows 7 help students and parents save money.

Whichever browser you decide to use, it makes sense to get the most out of your online activities by using the Windows 7 experience.
The PR Battle: Lazy Tech Journalism

However, there is another battle: PR.

Stories that the now ancient IE6 browser is no longer supported by Google were apparently newsworthy this week.

It follows the niche security concerns highlighted by Google China hacks via IE6.


Considering Facebook stopped IE6 support nearly a year ago, it could be alleged that this is a calculated headline grabbing move by Google.

In doing so, trying to create a negative association with the Internet Explorer brand, one that coincides with Google Chrome's national billboard campaign.

PR companies don't deal in coincides. They plan a campaign and then set their dominos in motion.

What's next? IE6 responsible for the recession?

If home users can figure out how to use peer-to-peer software to download music to the point where the entire recorded music industry suffers, I think it's safe to say most people upgraded their web browsers a long time ago.

Just don't let the facts get in the way of a good story. All's fair in love and browser wars.


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